At 04:07 PM 10/5/98 EDT, (Allen Hefner) Ajhsys@aol.com wrote:
>In a message dated 10/4/98 8:00:32 PM Eastern Daylight Time, (eddie k.)
VretroW@aol.com writes:
>
><< recently, i posted a note saying i needed a running, dependable MGB to
commute. on eof the returned letter said that it wasn't a very dependable
car for commuting. i've always thought it was if it was in good condition.
is it true?
>
>....
>Most of our LBCs will never be worth as much as we spend on them. ....
WHAT? I agreed with everything else said up to this point, that our LBC's
are reasonably reliable if properly maintained, and lots of fun to drive,
etc. But I have to take great exception to this latest statement. I
believe MY LBC is indeed worth every penny of what I spend on it, and I'm
not talking about love of labor or the value of the enjoyment of driving
it, I'm talking straight cost vs service here.
I finished the restoration my '58 MGA in late 1986 and have since put
130,000 miles on it, and I expect to put at least another 100,000 miles on
it in the near (foreseeable) future. Over the years I have kept up the
proper maintainance to keep it in reliable condition. In the last two
years I have once again given it a fresh engine and paint, new top, tonneau
cover and carpeting, and I will likely do so again some years down the road.
At the time of the original full restoration, my total cost of the project
(not counting my own time) was about $10,000, roughly equal to the cost of
a moderately priced new car at that time. Since then the maintainance
costs have been very reasonable indeed. If I average the maintainance
costs over all the time I have owned this car, I realize that I can
probably keep the car on the road indefinitely for about $100 per month,
and that includes the recent engine and paint and new fabrics. And of
coulse it's still worth something after 40 years of service, but that's not
very relevent to me because I have no intention of selling it.
In total, this is probably the least expensive car I have ever owned on a
cost per mile basis, and I don't think I'm any great exception to the rule
in this respect. And yes, it has been towed once or twice, but no more so
than any other car I have owned. And the recent fresh engine only cost
about $900, done in the same year that I got a bill for the same money just
to replace the fuel injectors on my late model Chevy. So go ahead and get
your LBC, and get it fixed up to be a reliable daily driver. Then drive it
'till it drops, fix what it needs, and then drive it some more.
Cheers,
Barney Gaylord
1958 MGA with an attitude
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